Quoted from Magic_Mike:BAM! This is the *only* issue I have with all of this!
If it wasn't for the IDIOTS buying games sight unseen over and over again, the prices wouldn't have jumped as fast as they did.
Where do we go from $8K when there is no turning back and the only people left in the hobby is......US???
I think the home market of pinballs increased because of people in general making rooms in their household dedicated to their new home theatres, gamerooms, mancaves, etc. It was a safe place to go to entertain family, friends, etc to get together, laugh, eat, drink and play games. Movies were getting so expensive it was more economical to buy nice theatre systems and dvd movies and players where you could watch and enjoy the movie in your little private world. The same for gamerooms. I remember when I first started my "mancave" I wanted a pool table, juke box, dart board, and maybe a arcade machine and/or a pinball machine to complete the look. Before you know it, you're buying a ton of pinball machines! It was like bringing back the past of your younger days in the private and secluded sanctuary of your household.
That being said, I guess I was one of those "idiots" buying these pins sight unseen because, unfortunately, I had no place to go to have the luxury of playing a pin before I buy like in the old days. Sure, I could watch countless videos on YouTube and other pinball sites to get the feel of the game, but that didn't satisfy the itch to actually touch one. Even (8) years into this hobby, I still can't find these pins on location to try before I buy.
I agree with the comments from other pinsiders in regards to prices on these MMLEs. If Stern could release their pro models for $4600 bucks, then how come MMR are so high? Say 5-10 years from now, are the buyers of these pins going to demand high price on their MMR? Will future pinheads start insulting threads on the MMR owners, calling them "high price Flippers" or "causing the demise of the pinball community" because they were lucky enough to purchase one early on when they did? Only time will tell. But, as one pinsider said, how long can it last where consumers are spending so much money on these high price machines? After all, money and space really begin to factor in.
Anyway, just food for thought. Congrats to the new MMR owners! Hope it comes out great. Congrats to the past and present owners of MM. It's a great game for any collection.